This week marks the 25th anniversary
of the April 3-4, 1974, super tornado outbreak. It was the worst
tornado outbreak in U.S. history with 148 twisters touching down
in 13 states. Before it was over 16 hours later, 330 people were
dead and 5,484 were injured in a damage path covering more than
2,500 miles.

Twenty-five years ago, National
Weather Service forecasters could see only green blobs on their
radar scopes and had to wait for visual confirmation of the tornado
before issuing a tornado warning. Today's forecasters, thanks
to a $4.5 billion weather service modernization effort, view
evolving storms in graphic detail and can now issue warnings
before tornadoes even form, with an average lead time of 11 minutes.

"Deadly storms such as
the 1974 super outbreak can and will happen again," said
Ken Haydu, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service's
forecast office in Wilmington, Ohio. "The people who experienced
the super outbreak have an important story about tornado awareness
and preparedness to pass on to later generations."

In all, 13 states were struck
by twisters: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan,
Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, and West Virginia.

Here you'll find information
on the 1974 super outbreak including an audio description of
the Louisville tornado by John Forsing, a report on how the tornado
outbreak opened eyes about tornado myths and school safety, National
Weather Service eyewitness accounts, and sidebar stories.